Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-01-16

Indeed" laughed Hale. "Who was
the other?"
George Leer
CHAPTER ".
The laughter that followed was inter
rupted by o sudden barking Of the dogs in
the outer clearing. ZenObia rose lazily and
strobe to the window, 1t relieved Hale
Of certain embarrassing reflections suggest
ed by her comment. II
"If it amt that GOd-forsaken fool Dick
bring up passengers from the snow bound
up stage in the road! | reckon I've got
suthin' to say to that" But the later APP
pearance of the apologize Dick, with the
assurance that the party carried a permls-
sion from her father, granted at the lower
station in view of such an emergency,
checked her active opposition. That's
like paw" she ~sOlilOquized aggrievedly;
"shuttin' us up and ~isettin' the dogs on
everybody for \ week, and then letting the
whole stage service pass through n door
and out 1T an other. Well, it's his house
and his whisky, and they kin take it, but
they don't get me to help 'ems'
They certainly were not = prepossesslng
or good natured acquisition to the party.
Apart from the natural antagonlsm, which,
OH such occasions, those in possession al
ways feel toward the new conner, they were
strongly inclined to- resist the dissatisfied
querulousneSs and aggressive attitude OF
these fresh applicants for hospitality. The
most offensive one waS q person who APP
peared to exercise some authority over the
others. He was loud, assuming and dressed
with vulgar ~pretension. He quickly dis
posed himself in the chair vacated by Ic-
uobia, and called for some liquor.
Z 81 reckon you'll hev to help yourself, y
said Rawlins dryly, rs the met
with no response. "There are only two
III in the house, aud | reckon their
hands are full already"
~ call it id uncivil treatment" said
the man raising his voice, land Hennicker
had better sing smaller if he don't want his
old den pulled down some day. He amt
any better than men that hev been picked
up aiore now"
''YOu Oughtcr told him that, and mebbc
he'd hev come over with yer" returned
Rawlins. Hes a mild, soft, easy going
man, is Hennicker! Amt he, Colonel
Clinch?'
The casual mention of Clinch's name
produced the effect which the speaker prob
ably Intended. The stranger stared at
Clinch, who, apparently Oblivious Of the
conversation, WAS blinking his cold, gray
eyes ut the fire. Dropping his aggressive
tone to mere QuerulOusness, the man sought
the whisky demijOhu. and helped himself
and his companions. Fortified by liquor
be returned to the fire.
II reckon you've heard about this yer
robbery, colonel" he said, addressing
Cliuch, with IN attempt ut easy tamili'
arity.
Without raising his eyes from the fire
Clinch briefly ~aSsented, Il reckon"
'I'm up yer examining into it for the
express
Lost much?" asked RawlinS.
Not sd much ez they might hev. That
fool Harkins had 800, 600 in ]greenbackS
sealed up like an ordinary package OF
81 900, and gave it to a friend, Bill Guth-
RE, in the bank to pick out some unlikely
chap among the passengers to take charge
of it to Reno. lie wouldn't trust the eX-
press. Ha! hal
The dead, oppressive silence that fol-
lowed his empty laughter made it seem ar
most artificial. Rawlins held his breath
and looked at Clinch. Hale, with the in
stincts of q refined, sensitive man, turned
hot with the embarrassment Clinch should
have shown. For that gentleman, without
lifting his eyes from the fire, and with no
apparent !change in his demeanor, lazily
asked:
eye didn't ketch the name O. that pas
senger?"
Naturally, no! For when Guthrie hears
what was said agin him he wouldn't give
his name until he heard from him."
"And what was sail agin him?' asked
Clinch, musingly.
What would be said agin n man that
give up that sum o money like n chaw OF
tobacco, for the asking? Why, there were
| hut three men, Is far ez we kin hear, that
did the Job. And there were four paSSen'
gers inside, armed, and the driver and the
express messenger on the box. Six were
| robbed by three!-they must hev felt
mighty small, for l hear they got up and
skedaddled from the station under the pre-
text of lookin' for the robbers lie laugh.
ed again, and the laugh was nOisly re-
peated by his five companions at the other
end of the Don .
Hale, who had forgotten that the stran-
ger was only echOing a part of his own
criticism of eight hours before, was on the
point of rising with burning cheeks and
angry indignation, when the lazily uplift-
ed eye Of Clinch caught his, and absolutely
held him down with its paralysing and
deadly significance. Murder itself seemed
to look from those cruelty quiet and re-
morselesS gray pupils. For a moment he
forgot his own rage in his glimpse OF
Clinch's %implacahle resentment; for 4 mo-
ment he felt a thrill Of pity for the wretch
who had provoked it. He remained mo-
tiOnleSs and fascinated in his chair as the
lazy lids closed like q sheath over Clinch's
eyes again. Rawlins, who had probably
received the same glance Of warming, re-
manned equally still.
''They haven't heard the last of it vet,
Won bet" continued the infatuated stran-
ger. 'Tve got a little statement here for
the newspaper" he added, drawing some
papers from his pocket; "suthin' | Just run
off in the coach as | came along. I reckon
it'll show things up in a new light. It's
time there should be some change. All
the cussin' that's been usually done hez
been by the passengers agin the express
and stage company. | propose that the
company should do a little cussin' them
selves. See? P'r'aps you don't mind my
readin' it to We? Its just spicy enough to
snit them neWsnaner chansv
go on" said Colonel Clinch, quietly.
The man cleared his throat, with the
preliminary pose of authorship, and his
five friends, to whom the composition was
evideatly not unfamiliar, assumed antici,
patory smiles.
81 call it Prize P~usillanimous Passen.
gers Sort of runs easy of the tongue,
you know.
at nov appears that the success OF the
late stage coach robbery near the Summit
was largely due to the observation-disclosures
to use a more serious wOrd'"- He STONED